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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Ferguson Grand Jury Reconvenes Today; Hope Fading for Iran Nuke Deal; Marketing Misses on Social Media; Buffalo Braces For Flooding; Benghazi Report "No Cover-Up"
Aired November 24, 2014 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN GUEST ANCHOR: Well, eeryone holding their breath. The grand jury meets again today. We could see a decision on whether or not Officer Darren Wilson will be indicted in the shooting death of Michael Brown. What is expected this morning up ahead?
Down to the wire, the U.S. and other world powers scrambling to reach a deal with Iran before tonight's midnight deadline. Can all sides come to an agreement on Iran's nuclear future in time?
And a new threat after record snowfall hit Buffalo, New York. Rain and warmer temperatures have created serious flooding fears, evacuation by boat, those plans now in place.
Welcome back to EARLY START, everyone. I'm Deborah Feyerick in for John Berman and Christine Romans. It is now 30 minutes past the hour.
Up first, the clock is ticking and the tension is building this morning in Ferguson, Missouri. The grand jury in the shooting death of Michael Brown is meeting one more time today.
We could find out whether Officer Darren Wilson, the Ferguson police officer, who shot and killed the unarmed 18-year-old, is indicted. We get more now from CNN's Don Lemon on the ground.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR, "CNN TONIGHT": Deb, the grand jury met on Friday and did not come to a decision. It is expected they will reconvene today and possibly come to a decision. It had been said each side or everyone would get a 48-hour notice as to when there would be a decision and when the announcement would be made.
We are hearing from our justice correspondent, Evan Perez, through his source said, they may not give that 48-hour notice. As soon as they reach a decision of some sort that a representative or an official might come out and say what that decision is.
Of course, we are talking about whether Officer Darren Wilson will be indicted or not in the shooting death of teenager, Michael Brown. As far as the community here, one might think that the streets of Ferguson were on fire if you look at some of the media coverage.
But that, indeed, is not the case. There are still protests going on. There are still some angry protesters. Not much violence, though. A few people arrested in the course of those protests.
Sometimes daily and sometimes not, usually about 30 or 40 people we're told have protests here every single night since the shooting happened. But from the media coverage, you might get a different sort of idea of what's going on here on the streets of Ferguson.
Of course, people are watching very closely as to when the decision will come and what that decision is going to be. Of course, the people who are in charge of keeping everything safe here, they said they are preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.
But that decision from the grand jury could come at any time after they reconvene again today. Deb, back to you.
FEYERICK: Thanks, Don. Classes have been canceled in some of those areas as well.
A close call for a "Los Angeles Times" reporter covering the Ferguson case, Matt Pearce, you see holding his head, was monitoring last night's protests in South St. Louis when he was hit in the head and knocked to the ground. Witnesses say some people nearby were seen throwing rocks. Here is Pearce just moments after the incident.
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MATT PEARCE, REPORTER, "LOS ANGELES TIMES": So I didn't see anybody throw anything. I didn't see what it was. Just felt like a conk on the head. As of right now, I'm not feeling woozy or anything. I think I'll make it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEYERICK: In good spirits. It is not clear whether Pearce was the intended target. Nobody has been arrested for that incident.
And any chance for a nuclear deal with Iran appears to be fading pretty quickly this morning. The six nations sitting at the table with the Iranians reporting that there are still serious, serious gaps between the two sides.
The deadline for an agreement expires at midnight their time. So can anything get accomplished before time actually does run out? Reza Sayah live from Tehran this morning. Reza, you think about the politicians and the people -- and we have lost Reza.
We will switch gears and we are going to talk that overnight there was a security scare at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio. The Army base put on lockdown for several hours last night after a driver simply failed to stop at an entrance checkpoint.
The driver was in police custody. He was captured after making a run for it. A brief manhunt and an explosives team brought to the scene. Nothing was found in the suspect's car. Police say he was alone and they are not revealing why he actually did that.
And in the wake of a bruising midterm election for Democrats, President Obama, well, he is acknowledging that the American people appear to be ready for a fresh start. The president appearing on ABC's this week likened himself to a used car while looking ahead to the next election.
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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, you have some dings and --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you don't mind absorbing a few more?
OBAMA: No, I think the American people, you know, they want that new car smell. They want to drive something off the lot that doesn't have as much mileage as me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEYERICK: Well, the president went on to say that he believes that Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State, would be a formidable candidate and a great president if she decides to run.
OK, so we've reestablish the connection so let's get back to Reza Sayah, who is live from Tehran this morning monitoring these negotiations that have been going on between the Iranians and others.
Reza, break it down for us. You've been talking not only to the people, but to politicians. Are both sides in favor of scaling back nuclear capability in order to lift these sanctions?
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They are not going to use that terminology scaling back, but Iranian officials here say they are ready to reach some sort of compromise. They put in place a system and arrangement where the world can verify that they are not building a bomb and in return, they want the sanctions lifted.
They say there is no reason that agreement cannot be signed today. However, growing indications that the obstacles are too much to overcome and there is going to be an extension of the talks. Last night, state media is citing an Iranian official saying that that is the most likely scenario.
And now Reuters reporting that the two sides discussing possibly resuming the talks in a couple of weeks in Oman, but Iran's position remains the same. They say they want a deal. Their nuclear program is peaceful.
They say if you look at the past year, they've agreed according to the previous deal to stop enriching uranium beyond 5 percent. They've gotten rid of their stockpile of 20 percent enriched uranium.
They agreed to the broader inspections and agreed not to advance the heavy water reactor. All reasons why the Iranian official says it's the west that's inflexible, but more and more signs, if no agreement today, Deb, but an extension of the talks.
FEYERICK: Yes, and one of the sticking points obviously is that the west wants full access to make sure they can inspect these plants to make sure that is the case and they can get a jump start. OK, Reza Sayah, thank you so much.
We are going to get an EARLY START on your money. Business correspondent, Cristina Alesci is here. A lot of volatility even though it does appear to be inching up, there are a couple of dips?
CRISTINA ALESCI, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: A couple of dips. The optimism is very persistent leading into today, which we have green across the board from markets this morning.
Asian and European stocks are higher because central banks seemed to be ready to keep flooding the market with easy money which investors love. U.S. stock futures are no less optimistic. They are following that lead. Looks like another record day on Wall Street.
That should sound pretty familiar. The Dow and the S&P both closed at records on Friday. Stocks keep finding, as you said, reasons to ink out new highs.
Companies are spending a lot of time and money these days on their social media strategies. But it turns out Facebook and Twitter might be a waste of time. Posts from top companies reach just 2 percent of followers according to research and interaction is even weaker.
So what does work? Smaller platforms like Instagram and good old fashion e-mail. E-mail seems to be a bit annoying. It is like getting junk mail at home which I hate. That is the only thing in my inbox these days, junk mail and my physical mailbox.
FEYERICK: Yes, exactly, although at least you know what to purge first which is also good. Instagram is so fast. You are clicking and clicking. All right, Cristina Alesci, thank you so much.
And aftermath of snowfall buried Buffalo, New York, the community is now bracing for a different danger. All that snow is going to melt and that could bring flooding. What to expect is just moments away.
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FEYERICK: The only thing worse happening to dig out from 7 feet of snow is watching it melt days later. The city of Buffalo is bracing for the big melt that's coming. Evacuation plans in place this morning. Temperatures are approaching 60 degrees today.
Eerie County officials expect heavy flooding into Tuesday with up to 6 feet of water predicted in some areas. That's after the city was buried by 7 feet of snow last week. Alexandra Field has more.
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Deb, they are preparing around the clock for the possibility of flooding and a lot of those preparations are happening right here at the state's stockpile in Western New York. Manpower and supplies have been coming into this area all week. Around me, you can see some of the more than 50 boats, which have been brought in. There are swift water rescue teams on standby as well as emergency personnel from municipalities around the state, 176,000 sandbags have been brought in along with hundreds of generators, (inaudible) and water pumps.
The goal right now before the temperatures begin to spike is to remove as much snow as possible and already more than 80,000 tons of snow has been taken out of south Buffalo. The goal is to clear out the storm drains which are filled with snow. That could help mitigate the risks associated with flooding.
People in the area are being told to clear out their basements in the anticipation of the possibility of flooding. The governor says that everything that can be done to be prepared is being done to prepare, more than 500 National Guards men and women are in the area on standby should they need to respond -- Deb.
FEYERICK: All right, Alexandra, thank you. Now let's get to Indra Petersons for an EARLY START on your forecast, 80,000 tons of snow, unbelievable.
INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And you talk about temperatures, as I mentioned, 60 degrees expected today. Even some showers in addition to that. You can actually see their forecast. Yes, we have rain in the forecast today.
But by tomorrow, look what happens, temperatures drop quickly again, you look at all the melting turning back to ice. Temperatures are in the 30s and even snow flurries in the forecast.
On top of it all, 40 or 50-mile-an-hour winds will be out in the Buffalo region today. All thanks to the cold front that continues to bring rain in the northeast. On the back side of it, we are looking at some snow.
So places like Wisconsin and even Michigan today are looking for upwards of about 5 inches of snow around Marquette. You could see even as much as 7 inches of snow. The other side of that is strong wind behind the frontal system.
Anywhere really from the lakes all the way back down through Arkansas. Look what happens, though. Look at the temperatures, notice D.C. 70s expected today. By Wednesday alone dropping down to the 30s tomorrow so this roller coaster again is on the move.
Temperatures are diving down. On top of it, we have Thanksgiving, the biggest travel day of the year. Everyone will be watching this low, developing off the coastline. Cruising up the coastline and where does this low go?
That actually indicates how much snow or rain we will be getting into the northeast and the big travel day of year. Also Chicago is looking at another low with cold air behind it potentially bringing snow in that region.
You're talking about a lot of major hubs. Don't know how it happens on the biggest travel day of the year, but once again, here we go again.
FEYERICK: So you are saying charge your devices and bring a book and a sandwich.
PETERSONS: I'm one of them.
FEYERICK: Absolutely. All right, Indra, thank you. Let's take a look at what is coming up on "NEW DAY." Chris Cuomo is joining us now. Chris, what do you have?
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR, "NEW DAY": Deb, good to see you in the chair. Happy Monday to you. Big stories are moving this morning. We're going to be all over them. This could be the last day that the grand jury in Ferguson meets.
Could not be, but that's what anticipated a decision is supposed to come after it. That will be the decision of whether or not to indict Officer Darren Wilson for the shooting death of unarmed teen, Michael Brown.
Now you know all of that, but it's what is going on into this process? Why haven't they made a decision yet? What do we know about what will happen afterwards?
We will tell you why they are key and hopefully why they are not a sign of things to come. The attorney for the Brown family is going to be on talking about what they will see coming. You want to hear that interview.
And also, the Bill Cosby story is developing. Not just about more allegations piling up. You know what? That would be enough to move the story. There is another accuser you are going to hear from this morning.
You don't want to miss what she has to say to our Alisyn Camerota. You will hear what is going in the story. A lot of news about the people around him. These stories, deb, you cover them brilliantly all about context in the absence of any criminal process that is going on. We will take you through it.
FEYERICK: That's right. Context is the big word here. All right, Chris Coumo, thanks so much. Have a great show.
A miraculous rescue, a newborn baby abandoned in a storm drain five days before he was found and saved. We are going to hear from the people who discovered this little boy brave and strong just in time.
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FEYERICK: Well, the findings are out. No conspiracy, no cover up. That's the conclusion of a House Intelligence report investigating the administration's handling of the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi.
It's an investigation that was spearheaded by Republicans and at least one top ranking Republican says he just doesn't believe it. He spoke with CNN's Gloria Borger.
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SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: I think the report is full of crap.
GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Why?
GRAHAM: To say that -- the deputy director of the CIA, when I asked him do you know who changed the talking points with Senator Ayotte and McCain and Susan Rice sitting by his side, said the FBI changed the talking points.
Only later did we find out through a lawsuit that Mike Morrell was deeply involved in changing the talking points, the deputy director of the FBI, when he was sitting in front of a congressional panel. The intel community through him lied.
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FEYERICK: The report puts blame on the State Department for the deadly attacks saying officials knew that security at the Benghazi mission was simply not sufficient.
Breaking overnight, two NATO troops killed by an enemy attack in Eastern Afghanistan, their identities and nationalities have not been released. Meanwhile, 12,000 U.S. and NATO troops will be allowed to remain in Afghanistan through next year now that the country's parliament has approved a new agreement with the west. The troops are there to support Afghan forces and conduct air support in the region if needed.
Student leaders at the University of Virginia are expected to speak out today after an apparent gang rape on campus. The horrifying allegations were revealed in a "Rolling Stone" magazine over a cavalier attitude. One student claims rape by seven fraternity members. UVA has now suspended all fraternity activities until after Christmas on January 9th.
Some bike riders in Australia making a disturbing finding in a storm drain. It was a newborn boy. They made the discovery Sunday when they lifted the slab off the drain because they could hear this little boy's cries even though he was more than eight feet underground.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We felt sickened.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We still feel sickened.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We wanted that baby to know and see its face.
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FEYERICK: And the-week-old little boy is a fighter. Investigators believe that he was placed in that drain the day after he was born. He survived five days. He is in the hospital in serious condition. His mom charged with attempted murder.
For 42 straight hours, that's how long K-mart will be open starting Thanksgiving morning. Cut your coupons. Employees are not too happy about it. We will get an EARLY START on your money next.
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FEYERICK: Let's get an EARLY START on your money. Business correspondent Cristina Alesci is here with all of that.
ALESCI: Yes, green across the board. Not surprising we are heading into December. That is historically a good month for stocks. The S&P and Dow ticked up to new highs on Friday. It looks like today could be more of the same. Futures are up. Asian shares ended the day higher after China's surprise decision to cut rates on Friday. European shares are also up.
Kmart is putting in some long hours this Thanksgiving opening at 6:00 a.m. with deals for early shoppers and staying open for 42 hours straight. That means a lot of holiday shifts for Kmart employees. Hundreds of workers are now petitioning to request holidays off. It was started by a daughter whose mom who was scheduled for two five- hour shifts last Thanksgiving. Kmart says it tries its best to staff stores with volunteers.
Keep pushing the boundaries on how long they stay open for.
FEYERICK: It is tough for the people who have to slog it out. Yes, Cristina Alesci, thank you so much.
And a lot of news to cover, including breaking news about talks over Iran's nuclear program. "NEW DAY" has all that and more starting right now. Good morning, everybody.
